Wohin bist Oktober gegangen?

Is it just me, or did the month of October last about 3 seconds this year? I hope November and December don't fly by too because they're some of my favorite months. I neglected to make any blog posts about the happenings of our lives in October except, of course, our exciting ultrasound, but there is so much more to the story! This is going to be a journal-style entry since I want to record details of some important events, so excuse the wordiness... or skip it if you want :)

This first picture represents the night we chose Michael's name. It was the evening after our ultrasound on October 13th and Kevin and I had gone out to dinner to a Mongolian grill to celebrate. I had been carrying around a $10 reward coupon for GAP in my purse that was expiring on Oct 31st and I asked Kevin if we could stop by the mall to buy Michael his first outfit. We got this little number at a mega discount, and I was so excited because the corduroy cargo pants are pretty much the cutest things I've ever seen. Our next stop was Barnes & Noble where I started leafing through a baby name book and stumbled upon "Bird Names", among which was listed Gannet. Kevin mentioned that it was also the highest peak in Wyoming, in our favorite Wind River mountain range, but spelled Gannett. We liked that better and immediately knew that Michael Gannett was the perfect name for our little guy. After all, he has been on a backpacking trip to that mountain range already. He may not have seen it, but he was there. And I like to think that he got to absorb some of the fresh mountain air through me. If nothing else, he got a heck of a lot of protein for four days!

Our next fun October happening was getting a visit from my brother Duncan and his wife Liz. We planned to take them to a lake on the Mesa and go fishing from a row boat, only to find when we got there that all the boats had been pulled off the lake to prepare for winter. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and it didn't seem right that the boats weren't available, but I guess they let nice weather trick them the year before and then a huge a storm came and the boats were stuck because part of the lake froze over. Darn. The other blunder was that both Liz and I didn't think to bring our purses with us and were not able to get fishing licenses because of it. Grr! But we ended up just enjoying the weather and watching Duncan strike modeling poses while Kevin taught him to fly fish.

We stayed until the sun was setting. It was amazingly warm and calm weather for October at that high elevation! So relaxing and such a nice getaway for Duncan and Liz who are slaving away in BYU's accounting program right now. Duncan's first fly fishing lesson went pretty much like mine did: One attempt at a cast, followed by unpicking twelve knots from the fly line. It's hard to pick up the casting and can be pretty frustrating the first few times, but I don't think he's given up forever.

My cute sister-in-law... Aww, isn't she precious? That blue cooler behind her had a fish in it that Kevin had just caught, and it would flop around inside the cooler and make a racket and scare us every time. You'd think the fish had finally given up its struggle and then when you least expected it, "BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!" It would flail itself against the walls on the inside of the cooler. He got fried up for a little after-church treat the next day, though.

One more picture of Duncan fishing.

The latter half of my October was quite bittersweet. I got a call from my mom that her dad had finally succumbed to his Alzheimer's and passed away on the 14th. I had been planning to take a trip to visit my mom in California, but since she was going to be in Washington state for the funeral and to help my grandma for three weeks, I made my trip to the funeral extra long. I drove myself the entire way there and back (which was my least favorite part), but on the way, I got to stop and see my in-laws in West Jordan. Kevin's sister Natalie and her kids went to Gardner Village with us and they had all their Halloween witches and decorations out for display. It was a fun evening. These are my nephews Sam and Drew, and my niece Olivia.

I made it to Wapato, Washington the next day after 10 hours of driving and only one stop for a combination gas-potty-lunch break in Boise. It was so fun to see my Grandma and be in that house where I had made so many fond childhood memories. I was the first grandchild to arrive. Since I'm not working right now I can pretty much come and go as I please. Over the next few days, my siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles all trickled in from all over the country to come support Grandma and reminisce about our beloved Grandpa Clyde. I drove with my mom to pick up my brother Tanner from the Seattle airport. I hadn't seen him since before he moved to Georgia. The colors on the leaves were amazing!

We stopped by the Seattle Temple for a photo op because the trees there were all so brilliant. It was a fun day. Not to mention the part when we went to the outlets in North Bend on the way home and bought a bunch more baby clothes for Michael. Tanner helped pick some of them out and he was proud of himself for picking some that we women liked too. I'll have to tell Michael someday that his uncle Tanner picked out some of his baby clothes. And Grandma Shawn paid for them.

Mom and Tanner walking through the temple parking lot. Can you say FALL COLORS?

My sweet and beautiful grandma, Sue. She was so happy that all of her children and all of her grandchildren (except Loren who's on a mission) were able to come for Grandpa's funeral. Even some of the spouses of family came, and two of Grandma's great granddaughters were there. I love this woman so much! She has meant so much to me and her other grandkids growing up!

Here she is taking a bite right off the edge of her birthday cake, at Ally's suggestion. Ally is one of the great granddaughters that came with her mom Krista. She was a hoot. When Grandma walked in and we all yelled "Surprise!", Ally followed it up by repeating over and over in a loud voice, "Grandma, it's your birthday! Grandma, it's your birthday!" She turned 84 on October 26th. Doesn't she look fabulous?

Here was my birthday gift to her: a graphite and charcoal drawing of her and Clyde from their 50th wedding anniversary portrait. I framed it and we displayed it at the funeral.

Here is our classic cousin picture: The four daughters of Sue's four daughters that were all born within a year and a day of each other. From left: Andrea (Coy's daughter) Mar 19, '83; Jamie (Shawn's daughter) Apr 23, '83; Lauren (Ceri's daughter) Apr 22, '82; and Abby (Nicea's daughter) Oct 31, '82. Love those girls! Love 'em!

Some pictures from the graveside service in Heyburn, Idaho. It was a special experience. I had never been to a military burial before. They had the bugler play, an honor guard performing a gun salute, and flag draped over Grandpa's casket. He was a soldier in WWII and invaded the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. My uncle Scott (Coy's husband) collected my grandpa's memories of the war on video and made an awesome montage of his interviews with Grandpa mixed with music and scenes from WWII movies. He worked on that project a few years ago and gave a copy to everyone in the family so we could have a keepsake and Clyde's war history could be preserved for future generations. I felt such a sense of pride as I sat at this service.

This is the poem (as closely as I can tell -- there are a few versions on the internet) that was read while they performed the ceremony of folding the flag. It was so touching.

I AM THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
By Howard Schnauber

I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is "Old Glory".
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.

When I am flown with my fellow banners,
My head is a little higher,
My colors a little truer.

I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshipped -- I am saluted.
I am loved -- I am revered.
I am respected -- and I am feared.

I have fought in every battle of every war
for more then 200 years.
I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg,
Shiloh and Appomattox.
I was there at San Juan Hill,
the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome
and the beaches of Normandy, Guam,
Okinawa, Korea, and Vietnam.
I was there. I led my troops.
I was dirty, battle-weary and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me
And I was proud.

I have been burned, torn and trampled
on the streets of countries I have helped set free.
It does not hurt, for I am invincible.

I have been soiled upon, burned, torn
and trampled on the streets of my country.
And when it's by those whom I've served in battle -- it hurts.
But I shall overcome -- for I am strong.

I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space
from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness
to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips
and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or when I lie in the trembling arms
of a grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
I am proud.

MY NAME IS "OLD GLORY".
LONG MAY I WAVE.
DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN,
LONG MAY I WAVE.

After the flag was folded, it was presented to Grandma as a token of appreciation for the sacrifices she had made as the wife of a serviceman. Then each of the officers that were there walked up, one by one, and gave a personal thank you to Grandma and shook her hand and saluted her.

Four of the six children of my grandpa Clyde: Bren, Coy, Shanon, and Shawn. Nicea wasn't able to make it to the graveside service. She is the eldest daughter. And Ceri, the third daughter, was waiting to welcome Clyde to heaven. We visited her grave also, which is in the same cemetery in Heyburn.
A crazy connection we made later about the Heyburn cemetery is that Kevin's grandmother on the Lewis side is also buried there. She, Grace Lee, and her husband Mont Lewis (still living) both grew up in Heyburn and Grace's sisters actually knew Clyde and his family growing up. Our grandparents grew up together, and now we are married. Small world, huh?

I got to come back home with Grandma, Shanon, Coy, and Shawn after the burial to spend a few more days with them before returning to Colorado. Grandma asked me to pluck her eyebrows one morning, so I did! She got a phone call in the middle of it, so we're multi-tasking in this photo. :)

On my drive home, I stopped in Boise to see some more in-laws. This is Cherie, the wife of Kevin's older brother Scott, and their 5 children (left to right) Jacob, Eliza, Maddison, new baby Archie, and Cayden who didn't really want his picture taken. They are a great family and we love visiting them when we can. I actually got to spend Halloween with their family last year, and was there for Jake's 1st birthday on November 1st last year. I can't believe how much he's grown! And little Archie was just born last month and I got to hold him. It makes me so excited to have my own newborn! And Michael will have a cousin his age on the Lewis side to play with. Hooray!

The next day, I returned to my poor husband that missed me terribly while I was gone on my two-week excursion. It was October 30th, so we got our butts in gear right away and made our Jack-O-Lantern for the year. It was an idea we got online. I copied the pattern onto the pumpkin and we carved it together. This is the finished product. Nintendo lovers should recognize this character.

Here's Kevypoo carving away...

One of my gifts from my husband upon my return was a little pampering. This pedicure turned out to be neater than when I do it myself!

It must be those dentist/flyfisherman hands. Very steady. And he did it without tickling me very much, which is also quite the accomplishment! I can't really get professional pedicures because they tickle too much. I love him so much for doing such awesome acts of service for me. What a man.

And finally, since it's been a while, here is my belly at 5 1/2 months. That brings October to a close. It was a busy, but wonderful month. I was so blessed to be able to spend so much of it with family and to honor my grandpa.